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    • Attacks between Israel and Hezbollah raise fears of war in the Middle East
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    Attacks between Israel and Hezbollah raise fears of war in the Middle East

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    Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and the Israeli military carried out massive airstrikes on Sunday as violence along the Israel-Lebanese border reached a new peak.

    The attacks came as negotiators were meeting in Cairo for ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, which is also backed by Iran. There are global concerns that the war in Gaza could spread to Lebanon and devastate the entire region.

    However, Israel and Hezbollah indicated they do not want a full-scale war in Lebanon. Some experts said Sunday’s powerful strikes could calm rising tensions in the short term.

    Hezbollah said the attack was in retaliation for the July 30 killing of senior Hezbollah figure Fuad Shukr. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that “what we did today is another step toward changing the situation” along the Israel-Lebanon border.

    “Israel is hitting Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows,” Netanyahu said. “Three weeks ago, we eliminated its chief of staff (Shukr). Today, we have thwarted its plan of attack.”

    Three deaths were confirmed in Lebanon. Israel said one member of its navy was killed and two wounded.

    Developments:

    ∎ Videos posted on social media showed Israeli interceptor missiles being fired to counter the attack.

    ∎ Restrictions were imposed on citizens from Tel Aviv to the Lebanese border, limiting gatherings to a maximum of 30 people outdoors and 300 people indoors. Beaches were also closed near the border.

    Israel hits wall in Gaza: Civilian casualties are increasing

    Former Israeli intelligence official and regional analyst Avi Melamed said statements from both sides would likely bring relative calm to the region and “end the anxious period of waiting for rounds of retaliatory strikes” that could have sparked an all-out war in Lebanon. Hezbollah’s attack plan and targets were approved by Iran, Melamed said.

    “Hezbollah’s retaliatory measures fell short of its supporters’ expectations,” Melamed told USA TODAY in an email. “But most importantly, the strike and the coverage sent a louder message to Yahya Sinwar’s Hamas that the expanded regional war Sinwar has hoped for … is unlikely to happen.“

    Melamed said the US was likely notified by Israel in advance of the preemptive strike, and Israel’s Channel 2 reported that the US had received such notification. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, who served as national security adviser under former President Donald Trump, praised the Israeli strike, saying it likely stopped Hezbollah from firing “thousands and thousands” of rockets into Israel.

    “So what the Israelis have done, in effect, is reinvigorate deterrence in the region, and I think that’s smart,” Kellogg said on Fox News Sunday. “And I think it has tested Hezbollah ….”

    Kellogg noted that Iran had done “absolutely nothing” as the violence unfolded Sunday. A current U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, told USA TODAY that there were no signs that an attack on Israel from Iran was imminent. Iran has vowed retaliation for Israel’s alleged killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.

    Hezbollah said in a statement that it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets at Israel, hitting 11 military targets in what it called the first phase of its retaliation – and denied that Israel had limited the attack. A Hezbollah official told Reuters that the retaliation had been postponed due to ceasefire negotiations and other political considerations. The official said the group had calibrated the attack to avoid a full-scale war breaking out.

    “All attack drones were launched at the specified times and from all predetermined positions… towards the desired target and from multiple routes,” the statement said, adding that the “military operation has been completed and accomplished for today.”

    A U.S. official said the Hezbollah attack involved no more than 100 rockets. Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said more than 100 Israeli aircraft struck targets in southern Lebanon.

    “Our air defense systems, naval ships and air force aircraft protect the country’s airspace, identify and intercept threats and strike wherever necessary in Lebanon to eliminate threats and attack Hezbollah,” he said.

    The Pentagon has been building up a robust military presence in the Middle East in recent weeks as Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, have threatened Israel with attacks. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to discuss Israel’s defense against Hezbollah attacks. Austin reaffirmed the United States’ iron-clad commitment to defending Israel against attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.

    President Joe Biden was briefed on the events by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, the White House said.

    The talks in Cairo are centered on a proposed “bridge ceasefire” from the Biden administration, which in recent weeks has given mediators hope that a deal could be reached. Mehran Kamrava, a professor of governance at Georgetown University in Qatar, is skeptical.

    “A bridge deal is more like diplomatic language and largely empty of substance,” Kamrava told USA TODAY in an email, adding that the Biden administration “is eager to reach a deal not so much out of concern for the plight of the Palestinians, but for domestic political considerations.”

    Iran prepares attack on Israel: Response to the assassination of Hamas leader in Tehran

    Expectations of escalation had been rising since a rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 12 youths last month and the subsequent killing of Shukr in Beirut. Israel’s security cabinet met early Sunday and Gallant declared a state of emergency.

    Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israel would respond to developments on the ground but did not want a full-scale war in Lebanon. Tens of thousands of Israeli residents have been evacuated from the Israeli side of the Lebanese border for months because of the escalating violence.

    “We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule: whoever harms us, we harm,” Netanyahu said.

    Tensions high in Middle East: Fear of Iranian attack on Israel keeps countries on edge

    Flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport were suspended for about 90 minutes. Some flights to and from Beirut were also halted, leaving passengers stranded. “I just want to get out of here as soon as possible,” said Rana Saade, a Lebanese woman living in New Jersey.

    Contributors: Tom Vanden Brook, Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY; Reuters

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